Baking for a chocolate lover? Here are all the best chocolate dessert recipes to satisfy a chocolate fix, from brownies to cake with ganache glaze.
Are you a chocolate lover? Or baking for one? Here at A Couple Cooks, we adore chocolate. Though most of our recipes are healthy whole food recipes (often plant based), there’s always room for a treat here and there. So, we’ve collected all the best ways to eat chocolate for dessert, outside of just grabbing a straight up chocolate bar.
Here are our favorite chocolate dessert recipes of all kinds. There’s our best chocolate cake with ganache glaze, a total stunner that is perfect for birthdays and special occasions. Then there are everyday desserts like cookies and brownies. You’ll notice many of them have a healthy spin using whole food ingredients, but the main priority is this: 100% chocolate-y deliciousness. Well, should we just get to the recipes?
Want a lighter option? Try our Healthy Chocolate Snack.
And now, our favorite chocolate dessert recipes!
This incredible, decadent dark chocolate cake is pure perfection, from the rich, moist chocolate cake to the light and fluffy buttercream filling. Oh, and did we mention a dark chocolate ganache glaze? You’re going to want to stop what you’re doing and run to the kitchen to make this: NOW! This incredible cake is dark chocolatey, just sweet enough, totally plant based (so it works for many diets). It's perfect for birthdays or other special occasions.
Get ready for the ultimate celebration dessert for a chocolate lover. Flourless chocolate cake! This decadently fudgy cake is meant for celebrations, like Valentine’s Day or birthdays. Rich and fudgy, dense and dark chocolaty, it’s a chocolate lover’s dream cake! Top it with this easy raspberry compote for a sweet tart pairing that cuts the sweetness of the cake perfectly.
Here is the best chocolate cookie recipe we’ve had….hands down. It tastes like it’s from a professional bakery. This flavor features a triple threat of chocolate: chocolate dough with milk chocolate and dark chocolate chunks. Topped with flaky sea salt, they’re pretty darn insane.
Next up in our chocolate dessert recipes: chocolate peanut butter cups! Because who can resist that classic pairing of peanut butter and chocolate? These are the very best that you'll make at home. They’ve got a satisfying crunch, just the right amount of lightly sweet peanut butter filling, and a few flakes of sea salt on top for a salty flair. WOWZA!
Here's another supremely delicious chocolate cake recipe: this time gluten free! It’s an inventive way to eat real, whole foods in dessert form. The magic ingredients are almond butter and shredded zucchini! Almond butter brings protein-packed texture instead of butter, and the zucchini brings in moisture and lightness. It's got gooey dark chocolate chips for maximum chocolatey goodness, too.
Another natural pairing with chocolate: cherries! This chocolate cherry dessert bites recipe is rich and chocolate-y but uses natural sweetener and just a few whole food ingredients! The crust is made of crumbles of almonds, oats, cocoa powder, coconut oil and maple syrup, And the creamy chocolate mousse topping is just three ingredients: coconut oil, maple syrup and cocoa powder. Topped with delicious sweet cherries, each one is a little bite of heaven.
This chocolate chip cookie cake recipe features another great chocolate pairing: chocolate and orange! It's filled with dark chocolate chunks and a hint of orange zest that make it seriously irresistible. And the texture is perfectly soft and chewy. Take it from reader Erin, who told us, “This cookie cake was SO GOOD. The orange zest was perfect!"
Here's a classic chocolate dessert recipe: brownie pie! This one is fudgy and decadent. The best part is the tahini maple sauce! It’s super simple to whip up: just mix together tahini, maple, espresso powder, and salt and it comes together into a gooey, salty sweet drizzle. It’s the absolute perfect finish for the decadent brownie pie.
Bliss bites are by far our most popular chocolate dessert recipes! They’re basically a homemade peanut butter cup combined with a no bake cookie, and people all over the world make and love them! Made with maple syrup, coconut oil, and oats, they’re naturally sweet, vegan, and gluten-free.
Keep them in the freezer or refrigerator and nibble all week long. When we served them to guests as a sweet treat at the end of a meal, our guest pronounced they were “literally heaven”.
What's a list of chocolate desserts without ice cream? This homemade chocolate ice cream is impossibly creamy but at the same time plant based! The secret to this creamy non-dairy ice cream? Full-fat coconut milk and a little cornstarch to thicken the mixture, along with cocoa powder and sweetener. And the flavor? Salty, dark chocolatey, and delicious.
Last but not least in our chocolate dessert recipes: vegan brownies! These brownies are insanely fudgy and at the same time filled with nutrient dense whole foods! They’ve got almond butter and applesauce to make them extra gooey, then they’re topped with chopped almonds and chocolate chips! After they’re baked, pop them in the refrigerator to get them extra chewy. Take it from one of our readers: “I’m somewhat of a brownie snob. These are better than any brownie recipe I’ve tried. Simply delicious!”
Chocolate Cake with Ganache Glaze
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 12 to 14 1x
Description
This decadent chocolate cake recipe features a chocolate buttercream filling and a shiny dark chocolate ganache. It’s chocolate dessert perfection!
Ingredients
For the cake
- 3 cups (375g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2⁄3 cup (60g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (475ml) unsweetened nondairy milk, homemade or store-bought
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 3⁄4 cups (350g) sugar
- 2⁄3 cup (160ml) melted coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the filling
- 1 cup (245g) pumpkin puree
- 1⁄4 cup (20g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1⁄4 cup (60ml) maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons almond butter or cashew butter
For the ganache
- 6 ounces (170g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1⁄2 cup (120ml) coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Coat two 8- or 9-inch (20 or 23cm) round springform pans with melted coconut oil.
- To make the cake, put the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk together the nondairy milk and vinegar until frothy. Whisk in the sugar, oil, and vanilla. Add about one-third of the mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a spatula or whisk, or use an electric mixer on the lowest setting. Repeat, adding the remaining liquid in two more additions, mixing just until incorporated after the final addition. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven but leave the cakes in their pans and let cool completely.
- To make the filling, process all the ingredients in a food processor.
- To make the ganache, put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Combine the coconut milk and maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just simmering. Pour over the chocolate and stir until melted. Let cool to room temperature.
- To assemble the cake, remove the layers from their pans. Place one, top side up, on a serving platter and gently shave off the rounded top with a sharp knife. Spread all of the filling over the top. Place the other cake layer atop the filling. Pour the ganache evenly over the top and let it drizzle down the sides. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Leftovers will keep in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
Reprinted with permission from Food52 Vegan by Gena Hamshaw
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Chocolate Dessert Recipes, Chocolate Cake
More with chocolate
There are lots more tasty desserts starring chocolate that we didn’t highlight here: here are a few more recipes we love!
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Dark Chocolate No Bake Cookies with Tahini
- Flourless Chocolate Torte
- Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie
- Dark Chocolate Bark
- Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake
- Peanut Butter Buckeyes
- Chocolate Banana Bread
- Vegan Dark Chocolate Ice Cream
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse
- Raw Brownies
- Chocolate Almond Cake
- Chocolate Cherry Galette
- Molten Lava Cake
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